Behold A Star Is Born
by HogwartsAdoptedSon00
Summary: When Tony and Ziva are called to investigate a crime scene in Stillwater, Pennsylvania she goes into labour...based on the nativity scene in Bethlehem.


The atmosphere at the crime scene in Stillwater, Pennsylvania was crisp. The night air was cool and there was a dead silence amongst the small town. Tony and Ziva, by Gibbs' orders, had taken the bus to investigate the scene to keep a low profile.

Ziva bent down to pick up a shell casing, found next to the corpse. As she lowered her knees, she held her back and stifled a cry of pain. "I hate being pregnant," she mumbled.

"Zee," Tony said noticing the spasmic motion of his wife's face. "You okay?" he circled a comforting hand on her lower back.

"No Tony, I think I am in labour."

Tony swore under his breath. "Alright, let's go."

"Go where, Tony? We cannot abandon the crime scene and there is no nearby hospital," Ziva said authoritatively as she checked Google Maps. "The nearest hospital is 30 miles away."

"Well we can't just stay here if you're in labour, Zee," he reasoned. "Come on let's go," Tony said gathering Ziva up of the floor and supporting her weight by allowing her to lean on him.

They slowly trodded away from the crime scene, stopping every few moments to allow Ziva to rest. "Adam should have been the one to eat the fruit..." she babbled.

"Huh?" Tony asked.

"You know, the creation story," she said. "Adam should have been the one to eat the fruit. Not Eve, now us women are forever cursed with childbearing," Ziva complained as she held her lower abdomen.

Tony sighed. "Yeah, whatever. This body," he said motioning his hands up and down his figure. "Would not be done any justice by having to carry that thing around for nine months."

"That thing," Ziva said correctively."Is your son. And I am ready to start walking again Tony."

He took off his jacket and wrapped it around Ziva's shoulders. She gave him a puzzled look. "You're in labour in the middle of nowhere, we don't need to add hypothermia to our list of problems."

They began walking again in their same arrangement, Ziva's arm slung around Tony's shoulder and his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. Everything was smooth sailing until the first contraction arrived. Ziva dug her nails into Tony's shoulders as she screamed loudly.

"Alright," Tony said rubbing his abused shoulder. "We've been walking for approximately half an hour and we're not any nearer to the hospital. Maybe we should just ask the townspeople if we can stay the night."

Ziva threw him a disbelieving look. "My son will be born in a hospital not in some stranger's country bungalow!"

"If we keep walking, Ziva," Tony said matter-of-factly. "Our child might not be born at all. Which one would you prefer?"

"Fine," she mumbled upsetly.

Tony finally came along to a house that appeared to still have life inside of it. They knocked on the door and waited. An elederly gentleman looked outside of the window and came to the door.

"Hello?" the old man said to the couple.

"Goodnight," Tony spoke up. "You got to help us please. My wife's in labour, you wouldn't happen to have any space in your house would you? The hospital's a little ways from here."

"No," the man said plainly. "I don't have any space, I'm sorry," he said closing the door in their face.

"Here I was thinking country people were nice," Tony muttered as he and Ziva hobbled off of the old man's porch. "Wanna try again?"

Ziva still had objections to this idea but the pain was becoming almost unbearable. She nodded weakly and they continued down the old dusty road in silence until Tony spoke.

"Have you thought of any names?" he asked.

That question took her by surprise. Tony had avoided the subject of names for quite some time because the first name she suggested for their son was Eli. "Yes," she managed to say after another contraction pulsated through her body. "I know that you were not too fond of the name that I suggested and I can see why. So that is why I came up with another name. But I will not tell you until he is born."

"That's fair enough Ziva," Tony replied. He hadn't exactly been supportive throughout the pregnancy and if Ziva wanted to keep the baby's name a secret until his birth, he would have to live with those terms. "But my suggestion is Aaron or Adam, those are both Hebrew names and I just thought maybe...ya know...I dunno, it was a stupid idea..."

She stopped them and held onto him so she could stand still long enough to look him in the eyes. "It was not stupid Tony," she said. "It was thoughtful and those are beautiful names. But we will see."

They came to another house just down the road. The house was situated on a small slope and it could hardly be missed as a star hovered right above it, illuminating the home.

They walked up the hill and prepared to be told no once more. Tony rapped on the door with his fist and waited. A man in his mid-60s came to the door and smiled graciously at them. He was the first kind face they had seen the entire night. "Hello, what are you young folk doing out at this hour?"

"Sir," Tony greeted him with the same smile. "My wife's in labour and she's about to have this baby right now. The hospital's pretty far and we came here by bus, we can't make the journey on foot. We've been turned down by two people so far and..."

The man held up a hand to stop him. "Slow down sonny! I understand. Now I don't have much to offer ya but it's better than nothing aint it?"

"We'll take anything, just need a place to stay for the night," Tony said thankfully.

"I got a garage around back, follow me," the gentleman said motioning for them to come. They came to the garage and he pushed open the door. "Now like I said, it's not much but it'll keep you dry and warm. I got a few blankets in those cupboards over there. I'll leave you to it," he said and with that left them alone.

"Tonyyyy!" Ziva shouted as another painful contraction ripped through her body. She now felt like her body was being split in two. This kid was coming now and it scared her that Tony would have to be the one to deliver it.

Tony set Ziva down on the floor and got the blankets from the cupboard. Spreading them out on the floor, he shifted her onto the sheets and tried to keep her calm. "Ziva, you're okay," he said smoothing down her hair.

"You are going to have deliver this baby Tony," she said in between short burts of breath.

"Ziva I couldn't deliver a pizza in school and you want me to deli-?" he was cut off as Ziva snatched him by the collar and pulled his face just inches away from hers.

"Listen, Tony," she ordered. "It is just you and I and that old man upstairs. Would you like for him to deliver the baby?"

Tony thought about an old guy seeing his wife naked and shook the idea away. "What do I do?"

"How dialated am I?" she said widening her knees.

He looked, not really knowing what he was looking for. "If dialated means wide, than yeah," he scoffed. "You're pretty dialated."

"I will push on the next contraction Tony," she muttered, ignoring his snide remark.

"Why can't you push now?" he shot back.

"My cervix will tear and there will be no physical pursuits for about a month," Ziva said. She knew that would shut him up.

He held her hand and wiped the sweat from her face until the next contraction came.

"Tony here it comes!" she said tightening her face as she pushed. The contraction came to an end and she relaxed. "Do you see anything?"

Tony nodded. "Yeah I see a full head of hair! You're doing great Ziva!"

And they followed that routine, contraction and push, until they got to the shoulders. "I do not know if I can do this Tony."

"Yes you can! Come on Zi, this kid really wants to see his Mom!" He urged her on. When the next contraction came, Ziva held onto her knees and put all of the energy that she could muster into pushing.

"Alright I got a head, shoulders, stomach and we got a boy!" Tony said as he guided the baby out of Ziva. He quickly took his jacket off and wrapped it around the baby. "Hey..." Tony said about to greet the baby and realized that they did not have a name.

"Not yet," Ziva said.

The door of the garage began to elevate and Tony became annoyed. Was the old guy coming back to check up on them? But his annoyance faded away once he saw who it was. Gibbs, along with Jenny, McGee and Ducky, came barging in the garage.

"Ducky, check the baby out," Gibbs ordered.

Jenny scurried over to Ziva whose head was thrown back in exhaustion. "Ziva are you okay? Jethro! How could you make them take the bus?"

"They would've stood out to much in a Charger, Jen," Gibbs murmured.

McGee stood hands stuffed in his pockets, smiling at Tony and Ziva's new addition. "I'm just glad you guys are okay."

They oohed and ahhed over the baby for a few more moments before Tony cleared his throat. "You never did tell me his name Zi, and you promised."

Ziva smiled slyly. "Did you all see the star over this house?" Everyone looked at each other, nodding in agreement. "Well the name that I have chosen is Sterling. It means little star."

McGee's eyes popped open. "This seems too familiar..."

Gibbs rested a hand on his shoulder and smiled pointing at the baby. "Behold, a star is born."


End file.
